Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) reported plan to replace Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) as the party’s presidential candidate is a politically calculated move and it is Chu’s selfishness that led to the KMT’s current predicament in the first place, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator said yesterday.
“It is no secret that Chu wants to remove Hung. He must have realized after a series of political calculations that without doing so, the party’s predicted defeat in the Jan. 16 presidential election would not only require him to step down as party chairman, but also mean an end to his political career,” DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said on Facebook yesterday.
Lin said that while it is the correct move in terms of political machinations, it shows “bankrupt” integrity on Chu’s part.
Chu’s selfishness caused the KMT’s current situation, Lin said, citing his decision to occupy the chairmanship after it became clear that a run for president next year would be doomed to failure, and his decision to force the responsibility upon Hung and subject her to ridicule.
“Now that it has become clear that Hung’s dismal campaign could potentially jeopardize his own political career, Chu has decided to oust her as candidate,” Lin said.
“To put it bluntly, Chu is someone who puts his own interests above those of his party and comrades, and who lacks ethics, beliefs and the guts to shoulder responsibility,” she added.
Lin made the remarks following a report published by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) yesterday that Chu plans to step down as New Taipei City mayor next week and run for president in Hung’s stead.
Other local media also reported that Chu had twice attempted to persuade Hung to drop out from the race, but the “suggestion” was rejected by the deputy legislative speaker each time.
DPP Legislator Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) on Sunday said that the DPP has been reluctant to comment on the widespread rumors that the KMT is seeking to change its candidate, as it does not want to be falsely painted as responsible.
“This is the KMT’s internal affairs and we should counter changes with constancy,” Huang said.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said changing horses in midstream is a taboo in the political arena, adding that the KMT’s alleged plan to overrule the decision reached at a national congress in July to officially nominate Hung would only backfire.
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